Just out of curiosity, Has anyone else had issues with third gear being out of sync? When I bought mine new in 2007, i noticed the banging noise slightly but ignored it thinking maybe it was just a new transmission and probably need time to loosen up. But the noise got worse until i couldn't stand it any more, and fearing my 75,000 mile drive train warranty was coming up, i decided to get it fixed. Now she floats like a dream.
I was told by the Ford Certified mechanic that third gear was off mesh by about a micron or so. They ended up replacing the whole transmission gear box and gears free of charge. NICE...
So has anybody else experience this, or am i just lucky enough to have gotten a brand new transmission after 70k? Its nice to have a tranny thats only 25k miles old in a five year old car. But I got stuck driving a 2009 Fuckus as a loaner. I hated that car. But then again, I'm Fusion jaded.